Early Wigram pics

[Dave Homewood]

I took these photos on the 18th of April 2006, while on my way to Warbirds Over Wanaka. The rot had set in by then and a lot of the little buildings were gone. But I captured what i could, thank god I did as it's all gone now.

This shot shows No. 6 Hangar


And here with the same photo I have marked where our S&S sections were. It's wierd, it was just an old building and a work place, but we had such great fun and good times in this place. Looking at the photos I think back to all the parachutes I packed, the liferafts and life preservers I serviced, and the helicopter crew vests and survival packs. And in the Fabric Bay we gt really creative and worked many miracles, building all sorts of amazing items and repairing others. I made great friends and met many colleagues coming and going.I think back to the crew room where we played card games like Black bitch (which Microsoft calls "Hearts", haha) and Wilds (which non-RNZAF seem to call Gun Rummy). In the para bay on Friday afternoons we uncovered the bar and the hidden fridge was opened at beer o'clock. Great times.


A closer look at S&S section, and at right the Para Bay drying tower - maybe it was an add-on from a later era??


The same view as the snowy scene above, but a bit depleted.


And here is the Armoury lock up building I was talking about, opposite the Armoury workshops in Hangar 7. I wish Mike Karstens was still on the forum, as he was one of the Armourers there when I worked at Wigram. Is Mike still out there??

[camtech]

Great photos Dave.
Obviously things have moved around over the years.
When I took over as NCO i/c NATTS Maintenance in December 1984, I had a grotty little office as part of the flight line office on the tarmac side of 6 Hangar. The SNCO's joe room was along side, with the baggies on the other side where the S and S joe room was later. The maintenance Flt Commander, when I had one, had an office just along from there.
An extension to the tarmac office gave me a little shoe box office, off the enlarged flight line office.

[Dave Homewood]

Yeah Les, that office that or F/Sgt took over used to belong to the NATTS Maintenance Flight Commander previously, who was W/O Molloy when I got there in 1991..

Just regarding the two tall buildings, one that was known to me as the Shot Tower opposite the Armoury, and the other round the corner on the way to the Tech Squadron HQ hangar, both can be seen in various wartime photos. I believe all the shots I have cropped the following from are Air Force Musuem of New Zealand Official.

Here you can see both in sillouette, those are Oxfords in the shot so that dates the photo to WWII


A similar shot with the sun on the buildings


From another angle you cannot see the Shot Tower and other buildings along that row, but the mystery tall building can be seen peeping over the top of No. 5 Hangar there


This shot I think was scanned from Paul Harrison's book, shows that corner and both towers. It is dated 1st of February 1941. Note the tall tower near to Tech Sqn HQ had a tall roller door. Would the bomber trainer room have needed such a big door? Note how they painted fake roads and grass verges on the hangar rooves to trick the Japs!


Lastly, this is another angle, also taken in 1942. That mystery building is about three storeys tall by the look of it.

[davidd]

Some of the guides at the RNZAF Museum made a scale model of Wigram in the early 2000s, as it was in 1942 (camouflage and all!), and they also have the key for pretty well ALL the buildings (but not the keys for the doors as requested by somebody else on this thread!) I will have to take some notes of this key - it could be very useful on this Board! One of the guides from memory was Don Deanes, but there were others - a great effort too. They even built about 30 or 40 Oxfords in various colour schemes, as well as the odd Vincent and a few token Harvards (perhaps from No. 3 A/A Co-op Flight at Harewood), and there are also groups of airmen marching about and some MT vehicles for good measure. I will report back in due course. Another interesting group of buildings (out to west of 7 hangar) was the camera obscura area, which was another synthetic training device for bombing practice (sort of).
David D

[skyhawkdon]

Yes that model of Wigram in 1942 is excellend and very accurate in scale and detail. I show it to every tour I take as we leave the atrium and point out the hangars we are going to visit and buildings we will be able to still see. The model even has slit trenches just like in the wartime photos.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I really like that model and every time I visit i look it over. It was really well made, and shows how much has been lost to time and "progress".

[beagle]

been there a few times in the last 6 months. where is the model situated ?

[davidd]

Beagle,
As some of the displays have been moved about in recent times because of the construction of the new building out on the tarmac, it would be a good idea to ask one of the guides, who will no doubt be glad to show off their masterpiece!
David D

[davidd]

Have finally got around to locating names of the two guides who built the model of wartime Wigram (circa 1942). They were Syd Blake (ex Army? Now in North Island?) and Don Deane, still on duty at the Museum. Of course the Museum itself provided much of the back up and reference works. A most worthy effort too.
David D

[tbf25o4]

In the first two of Dave's pics above just to the left of 7 hangar can be seen the "elephant house" a long shed which housed the articulated refueling trucks when not being used. next to that is a petrol refueling point. both were in existence when I was at wigram 1965-1968 I think they were removed in the early 1970s

[Dave Homewood]

I recall when I went for my recruitment medical at RNZAF Te Rapa in 1988 there was a building there on the base with the sign The Elephant House on it. Would there have been some similar vehicle stored inside? I never did work out what was in there.

[Ian Warren]

A return to Wigram, I do like the historical photo's, then saying that I would have preferred the then most historical base should have stayed open as an airfield , Ian the one who lost my sleeping bag somewhere i those hangars

[SEAN]

Mar 2, 2014 12:25:01 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I recall when I went for my recruitment medical at RNZAF Te Rapa in 1988 there was a building there on the base with the sign The Elephant House on it. Would there have been some similar vehicle stored inside? I never did work out what was in there.

Dave this was used for storing very large and oversized stores, like C130 / P3 Wings and flaps, and nose cones etc.

[Dave Homewood]

Ahhh, thanks for that Sean.

[snaphead]

Just to add a little more on early Wigram. When I lived on Vickerys Road, my next door neighbor was a gentleman by the name of Mr Merrin. (I never found out his first name). He was in the NZ Air Force in the 1920's and 30's. I don't think he was in during WWII. He had lots of facinating framed photo's of the aircraft and the "troops". If I recall correctly he was a Cpl Engine Fitter. Of the photo's I recall Grebbes, and Vilderbeast"s. Whatever happened to his photo's I don't know, I would have hoped they were donated to the Museum (it was there when he died). He always claimed he was one of the first NCO's in the RNZAF when it was formed.

[errolmartyn]

Mar 3, 2014 10:12:00 GMT 12 snaphead said:

Just to add a little more on early Wigram. When I lived on Vickerys Road, my next door neighbor was a gentleman by the name of Mr Merrin. (I never found out his first name). He was in the NZ Air Force in the 1920's and 30's. I don't think he was in during WWII. He had lots of facinating framed photo's of the aircraft and the "troops". If I recall correctly he was a Cpl Engine Fitter. Of the photo's I recall Grebbes, and Vilderbeast"s. Whatever happened to his photo's I don't know, I would have hoped they were donated to the Museum (it was there when he died). He always claimed he was one of the first NCO's in the RNZAF when it was formed.

Frederick Adair Merrin was one of the two airmen employed by the air force before there was an air force (the other was William Chadwick Townsend).

The then Gunner Merrin was attached to the Air Board for storeman duty at Sockburn on 15 February 1921 (Townsend's date was 24 January 1921 - he was posted to Sockburn as ledger-keeper).

Both airmen were transferred on 21 June 1923 to the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, just a week after its creation.

When official numbers were allotted in September 1938 Merrin, then a sergeant, was numbered 23101 (NZ23101 from August 1940) and Warrant Officer Townsend 23100.

Merrin was still serving in 1949, when renumbering of personnel took place, his new number being 70361.

He died in 1990.

Errol

[snaphead]

Thanks for the information above. I had an idea his name was Fred. He kept to himself. But whatever happened to his photo's, they were quite large (about 2 ftx 1ft).

[juliecathcart]

Thankyou Errolmartyn, my mother told me that my Grandfather, William Chadwick Townsend was #001.

[errolmartyn]

Hello Julie,

Here is a little more about grandfather

From Colin Hanson’s By Such Deeds – Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1923 – 1999 :

TOWNSEND, Warrant Officer William Chadwick, MSM.
NZ23100; Born Waikouaiti, 24 Feb 1885; RNZA 21 Mar 1907 to 5 Feb 1917, 1168; 1 NZEF 6 Feb 1917 to 27 Jun 1919, 4/3609; RNZA 28 Jun 1919 to 23 Jan 1921, 1168; NZ Air Services 24 Jan 1921 to 20 Jun 1923; NZPAF/RNZAF 21 Jun 1923 to 13 May 1946; Pay Clerk, Disciplinarian, Barrack Warden, Firemaster, then NCO i/c Birdlings Flat.
Meritorious Service Medal (30 Apr 1928): Not available. W/O Townsend had three service numbers, one of which, NZ23100, was the first RNZAF number to be issued. During WWI, as a member of 1 NZEF he was, for 2½ years, seconded to the RN for service as a gunner on armed merchantmen. In 1921 he was attached to the NZ Air Services as a ledger keeper and transferred to the NZPAF on its formation in Jun 1923.
Died Christchurch, 17 Aug 1962.

Errol

[mileater]

Just came across this thread and, obviously, somewhat late to the party. Anyway, the "old" gymnasium hangar was converted into the Radio Section when we were kicked out of the 6 Hangar Annex by the F27 Flight (but only after it had had a makeover!). It remained the Radio Section until Wigram closed :-(
The "rules" were, when we shifted into the hangar, not to change the structure in any way as it was to be preserved, being an "Original" and of historic value. So, inside, a "Shoebox" was built to accomodate the work benches, screened room etc. that would be required. F/S John Tasker planned the whole thing so that at least one Badminton court was preserved, one Basketball backboard and hoop remained and an approximation of an indoor cricket pitch. The magnificently springy wooden floor was totally preserved, with all markings. To the side were:
F/S office, nearest to the main entrance, with window to the swimming pool.
Showers and toilet facilities,
Joe room and
SNCOs office.
Outside, of course, was the Base Swimming Pool, change rooms etc. In all, the best equipped section (for alternative activities) I ever worked in and probably the best within NZDF, ever!
Needless to say, we made the most of those facilities whenever we could.

Cheers,
Allan